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Right, so where was I? Spent a lazy Sunday in Christchurch - well-needed big brunch and then a visit to a kiwi centre right in the church square. Saw 2 kiwis - very odd looking things but interesting to watch - they can live to be almost 50 years old (that's if they haven't been chased down and killed given that they can't fly, run like Ken Dodd and have this enormous beak that must get in the way of everything!
On Monday 16th I got back on the bus (now only 3 remaining from the big posse) and headed to Kaikoura. This was always going to be one of my highlights of NZ as it's a marine life paradise but I was concerned I wouldn't get to see anything so had kind of blocked it out so as not to be disappointed. What a beautiful place - crystal clear blue sea, snow-capped mountains and a real seaside villagey feel. We stopped at a seal colony on the way in and then I headed out for some whale watching. They say that on average you see 1-2 whales per trip. We saw 5 giant sperm whales within the space of around half an hour! Amazing things. They are around 21 metres long but only around a third of their body can be seen above water (and on my pictures they kind of look like lumps of floating wood) but when they flip their tales, they are so graceful - what a wonderful sight!
Young and some of the other boys spent the day fishing and came back armed with crayfish, perch and groper - and a thankful of locally produced wine. Apparently the guy they had fished with had taken them back to his house and plied them with copious amounts of alcohol so Young was quite amusing that evening. We joined them to stuff our faces with their catch - the crayfish actually sell for between $50-100 on the market and were delicious.
On Tuesday morning I got up at 4.30am (ugh!) for my dawn swim with dolphins. By 6am we were on the boat and heading out to sea. Next thing we were bundled into the water and oh my God! What an awesome (there's that word again) experience. There was a pod of around 8 dolphins swimming in amongst us while hundreds of other dolphins flipped and swam around the boat. They are dusky dolphins and were probably around 5 feet long. We had been told that we needed to entertain the dolphins to keep them interested so splashing around and singing/squeaking would help. I wish I had asked someone to record the noise; it was hilarious. There were about 10-12 of us in the water, tooting and la-la-ing through our snorkels. But it worked! The dolphins would swim straight for us and then swerve out of the way. They were flipping and diving; it was incredible - the best thing I have ever done and really hard to describe how it makes you feel. When you make eye contact you can really see them looking at you and it takes all of your effort to swim in tight circles as they swim around you. As soon as you break the eye contact they shoot away so it challenges your snorkeling (and staring) skills. We were in the water for around an hour (I didn't want to get out!) and once the adrenalin had worn off, you realised how bloody cold you were - it took at least an hour for me to feel my feet again. Once back on the boat, the dolphins headed to the front where they can be pushed along by the forward energy that a boat creates so they don't have to work as hard when they swim. They were leaping and swimming right in front of us - amazing! I've added lots of pics and videos to picasa. This was the first time I had used my underwater functionality so it's a bit dodgy but you'll get the general idea!
Anyway, back on the bus at 9am (having felt like I'd already done a day's work!) and as if that wasn't enough excitement for an early morning, Mambo took us for a short 'must-do' walk. Thinking it was just another waterfall, we were then amazed to find around 8 baby seals frolicking in the pool under the fall. So cute! I could have stayed there all day but unfortunately we had to rush to Picton for the ferry back to Wellington where I said farewell to Young and then passed out in bed after all the day's excitement!
Random Snippets
Kaikoura used to be a major centre for whaling and seal hunting. The seal skins were sold to China where they were made into top hats for the UK market.
The sperm whale is the largest toothed whale and also the largest diving mammal. They dive up to 3 km at a time and stay submerged for around 90 minutes. They are so-called due to a milky white substance that's found in their heads. When the first whales were caught, the whalers believed the head must contain their reproductive organs hence the name. It's actually a substance called spermaceti which turns to wax when cold water enters the head. The wax solidifies and generates a down force helping the whale to dive down with minimal effort. As the substance melts with oxygen consumption, the whale becomes more buoyant and rises to the surface of the water.
My blog keeps crashing so all pics from my NZ trip are now stored here: http://www.picasaweb.google.com/lindylou73
Enjoy!
xx
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